Yellow Fever in Galveston

Smith, Ashbel

Published by University of Texas Press, 1951

About this Item

YELLOW FEVER IN GALVESTON, REPUBLIC OF TEXAS, 1839, AN ACCOUNT OF THE GREAT EPIDEMIC BY ASHBEL SMITH, EX-SURGEON GENERAL OF THE TEXIAN ARMY, together with A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH by CHAUNCEY D. LEAKE, and STORIES OF THE MEN WHO CONQUERED YELLOW FEVER, hardcover with a dust jacket (not price-clipped), with three illustrations, 1951. BOOK CONDITION: near fine. The text block is in fine condition with no dog-ears, tears, or marks. There is no bookplate nor signature of a prior owner. This is not a library book nor a remainder. The brown cloth boards are in very good condition (thin black line near bottom edge, created by Bro-Dart cover). Tight binding. The dust jacket (encased in a Bro-Dart plastic cover) is in good condition (edge chipping and a few small tears, faded spine). 9 ½ x 6 ½, 135 pages, 16 ounces. NOTE THAT SINCE THE BOOK WEIGHS ONE POUND, THERE MAY BE ADDITIONAL SHIPPING CHARGES IF YOU REQUIRE PRIORITY MAIL OR LIVE OUTSIDE THE U.S. [From the dust jacket] The Republic of Texas was only three years old when Yellow Fever struck the seaport city of Galveston in 1839. Among the residents of the stricken city was a brilliant young doctor, Ashbel Smith, M.D., a Yale graduate and former surgeon general of the Texian Army. Dr. Smith not only ministered fearlessly and indefatigably to the ill but kept careful and detailed case histories of all his patients. He performed a number of post-mortem examinations, handling every organ, examining closely the body fluids, and even tasting repeatedly the dread "black vomit." When the epidemic was under control Dr. Smith addressed himself to the task of writing a careful account of all that he had observed and the conclusions which he had drawn therefrom. The resultant booklet?the first medical publication of the republic?was the best detailed compendium of precise clinical data on the disease published up to that time, although it did not make a significant contribution toward its control. Had Dr. Smith been a little more imaginative he might have grasped the connection between the prevalence of mosquitoes and the disease, but this discovery remained for others to make. Dr. Smith's remarkable account, first published in Galveston in 1839, and now quite rare, is reprinted for the first time in the present volume. It is not only an important Texas historical document but an exceedingly interesting contribution to the history of medicine. Dr. Chauncey D. Leake, dean of The University of Texas' Medical Branch at Galveston, has edited Dr. Smith's account for publication and has contributed an interesting biographical sketch of the remarkable "Dr. Ashbarrel," easily one of Texas' most versatile and valuable citizens. Also included in the present volume are twelve sketches by leading medical historians of the men who have made the greatest contribution to the conquest of Yellow Fever. Seller Inventory # 001550

Bibliographic Details

Title: Yellow Fever in Galveston

Publisher: University of Texas Press

Publication Date: 1951

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Very Good

Dust Jacket Condition: Good